History of Hockey World Cup
The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan and India's Jimmy Nagarwalla. They proposed their idea to the FIH under the name of Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on October 26, 1969, and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on April 12, 1970. The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan.
However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India's participation in the Hockey World Cup, threatening to burn down the stadium if the country's team was allowed to play. Meanwhile, they hijacked an Indian Airlines Fokker Friendship aircraft to Lahore Airport, where they set the plane on fire. In turn, Pakistan threatened that they would not participate if India hosted the tournament. |
The Semi-Final of World Cup 2006 between Germany and Spain |
In 1971, there was also a civil war between West Pakistan and East Pakistan, now known as the Bangladesh Liberation War. This led to political instability throughout the country.
Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site.
The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup to date. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002 Cup featured sixteen nations, the largest World Cup to date.
The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous tournament. Since 1982, the tournament has been held every four years, halfway between the Summer Olympics field hockey competition. |
